Description

May 1992, and after four LAPD officers were acquitted after the savage beating of Rodney King, Los Angeles is ablaze. As looting and burning take over the city, law and order are swept away in a tidal wave of violence. But under threat of their lives, homicide detectives like Harry Bosch are still stubbornly trying to do their job. With no effective police presence on the streets, murder just got a whole lot easier - and investigating them got a whole lot harder. Escorted by national guard soldiers from murder scene to murder scene, Harry and his colleagues are only able to do the bare minimum in terms of collecting evidence. And for Harry that's not enough. When he finds the body of a female journalist executed in an alley, he cannot accept that he will never be able to bring her killer to justice, and her tragedy starts to eat into his soul. But then, twenty years later, Harry finds himself working in the Open Unsolved Unit, and suddenly the past comes back to haunt him once again, in a way he could never have imagined.show more

About Michael Connelly

A former police reporter for the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Michael Connelly is the author of the Harry Bosch thriller series as well as several stand-alone bestsellers, including the highly acclaimed legal thriller, THE LINCOLN LAWYER, selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club. Michael Connelly has been President of the Mystery Writers of America. His books have been translated into 31 languages and have won awards all over the world, including the EDGAR and ANTHONY AWARDS. He lives in Tampa, Florida, with his family.show more

Review quote

Connelly's Los Angeles cop Harry Bosch finds himself retired but roped in to try to reduce the growing pile of unsolved crimes in his city ... Bosch steps in proves his retirement is just as exciting, dangerous and gripping as his previous life. THE TIMES For 20 years Connelly's creation Harry Bosch has been fighting crime in LA and the author is marking the anniversary with this taut and clever thriller ... a treat SUNDAY MIRROR An engrossing slice of LA noir MAIL ON SUNDAY THE BLACK BOX is another novel steeped in recent history ... it's a story that's as old as the genre itself but Connelly's skill is such that it all feels entirely fresh and vibrant, but heartbreakingly poignant too. IRISH SUNDAY INDEPENDENT Another gripping and excellent thriller THE SUN Another winner from Michael Connelly CANDIS MAGAZINEshow more

Back cover copy

'The greatest living American crime writer' - MIRROR
Los Angeles, May, 1992 Murder just got a whole lot easier. And investigating them got a whole lot harder.
After four LAPD officers were acquitted after the savage beating of Rodney King, LA is ablaze. As looting and burning take over the city, law and order are swept away in a tidal wave of violence. But under threat of their lives, homicide detectives like Harry Bosch are still stubbornly trying to do their job.
When Harry finds the body of a female journalist in an alley - apparently executed - he is forced to hand the case over to the Riot Crimes Task Force, knowing that it will never be solved. And twenty years later, Harry has still not forgotten the woman for whom he was unable to deliver justice.
But new ballistic evidence now confirms her death was not a case of random violence but something much more personal. This time Harry is determined that he killer isn't going to escape - even if it means stepping back into the darkest days of the city he loves.
'A crime-writing genius' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAYshow more

Review Text

Connelly's Los Angeles cop Harry Bosch finds himself retired but roped in to try to reduce the growing pile of unsolved crimes in his city ... Bosch steps in proves his retirement is just as exciting, dangerous and gripping as his previous life. THE TIMESshow more